Church Representative Rev. F.N. Williams, II accepted a certificate on behalf of Antioch MBC during the July monthly networking luncheon. The Acres Home Chamber for Business and Economic Development, Inc. would like to send a special thanks to a long time supporter, returning and active member!

High-Speed Rail Project Connecting North Texas and Houston

Marvalette Hunter of Texas Central Partners, LLC made a presentation during AHCBED‘s July networking luncheon regarding the High-Speed Rail Project connecting North Texas and Houston. Ms. Hunter informed attendees that, “This privately developed rail system will generate an estimated economic impact of $36 billion over the next 25 years – without using taxpayer funds. It will also complement the state’s existing transportation network and help prepare Texas for generations of future growth.” AHCBED expressed its support development of the high-speed rail, and believes this transportation infrastructure project will provide a safe, reliable and productive travel alternative between Houston and North Texas.

AHCBED has partnered with Houston Community College and Lone Star College-Victory Center to provide 25 local businesses with the opportunity to participate in a six (6) week small business training program.This FREE series will provide entrepreneurs and small business owners with practical, focused methods and hands-on activities for starting or growing their business.Professors and business experts from the colleges will teach concepts to include:

• How to structure your business;

• How to prepare an effective business plan;

• Understanding financial statements and financing your business;

• Developing an effective marketing plan (including social media);

• Human resources management;

• How to do business with Lone Star College and Houston Community College; and

Los Angeles, CA, July 25, 2016 (Newswire.com) – Erika Alexander, actress/activist and National Surrogate for Hillary Clinton, will speak at the Democratic National Convention Tuesday, July 26 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA.

Best known to TV viewers as “Maxine Shaw” from FOX’s classic sitcom Living Single, Alexander grew up in Philadelphia, was discovered and began her show-biz career there. On Tuesday night, in an emotional homecoming, she takes the national stage before the biggest audience of her life.

Alexander will introduce Ryan Moore. Ryan, originally from South Sioux City, NE, has Spondyloepiphyseal Dysplasia Dwarfism and has known Hillary Clinton since 1994, when his family came to Washington, DC for an event to advocate for health care reform. Brian Moore, Ryan’s father, lost his job when his employer was unwilling to cover treatment for Ryan’s health condition. Ryan has stayed in contact with Hillary ever since.

Hillary Clinton “Surrogate” and Philly Native Erika Alexander will speak live at the Democratic National Convention tomorrow in Philadelphia – Erika Alexander

Erika Alexander will speak Tuesday, July 26 at the Democratic National Convention from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA. Coverage begins 8PM EST. To watch her speech stream live go to https://www.demconvention.com/

About Erika Alexander: ERIKA ALEXANDER is a TV trailblazer. The role of “Cousin Pam” was created for her on The Cosby Show in 1990 and she went on to a starring role as fan favorite “Maxine Shaw” in the hit series Living Single in 1993, winning two NAACP awards for Best Actress in a Comedy. She recurs on the ABC Tim Allen comedy, Last Man Standing as Carol Larrabee “The Black Sarah Palin,” on Freeform’s 2017 sci-fi drama Beyond and on Oprah Winfrey’s and Ava Duvernay’s new drama, Queen Sugar, debuting on OWN, September 2016. She also co-stars in Jordan Peele’s horror movie, Get Out. Erika is the co-creator and co-writer of the critically acclaimed, award winning graphic novel, Concrete Park, a Best American Comic 2013, and a 2016 Glyph Award winner, published by Dark Horse Comics. Alexander is an advocate for women and children and a national surrogate for Hillary Clinton 2007-2016.

]]>Aldine ISD Free Family Engagement Expo Set For Aug. 6http://www.aframnews.com/aldine-isd-free-family-engagement-expo/
Sun, 24 Jul 2016 22:58:43 +0000http://www.aframnews.com/?p=11487August is around the corner, which means summer vacation is almost over. A new event this year will help families prepare for the new school year, which starts Aug. 22.

The Aldine Independent School District is hosting its first annual Family Expo. This free event is open to families in Aldine ISD with children in prekindergarten to high school.

The event is set for Saturday, Aug. 6 at the M.O. Campbell Educational Center (1865 Aldine Bender Rd.) from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The event is a partnership between U.S. Congressman Gene Green and Neighborhood Centers Inc.

Dr. Wanda Bamberg

A Back to School State of Mind

Superintendent Dr. Wanda Bamberg hopes to see Aldine parents and students in attendance.

“The Family Expo will provide parents with all kinds of valuable information,” said Bamberg. “Organizers have been working to develop a wonderful event for families.

“It’s an excellent opportunity to talk to people about a wide variety of resources. Parents can get oriented about a lot of programs for children. These programs and services promote academic success and prepare students for college and career.”

Dr. Jinneh Dyson

The expo will offer workshops about increasing literacy skills and college readiness programs. Families can also learn about the district’s magnet schools and International Baccalaureate programs. Other topics covered include dyslexia services, special education support and student behavior.

Dr. Jinneh Dyson is the guest speaker. She will discuss strategies to motivate and inspire students to succeed in school. Dyson will also talk about the importance of attitude and perseverance. A change in mindset will help students reach their dreams. She is author of Think Your Way Up: 21 Mental Habits of High Performance People.

Resources for Families

The Family Expo showcases family resources, service providers, community-based organizations and other local agencies. Educational workshops will focus on literacy, career programs, and college admission test preparation.

Congressman Gene Green

Several workshops will address financial responsibility and awareness and health issues that affect families. Other exhibitors will provide employment services and much more. The goal is to increase community education and involvement.

Congressman Gene Green is one of the Expo’s sponsors. Many in the community are familiar with Green’s immunization health fairs.

“Parents and legal guardians are the strongest advocates for their children’s health and education,” said Green. “They are often looking for the resources to do more. For that reason we host community events like this Expo. We want to connect families to community service providers as well as health and educational resources.”

]]>The Johnson’s Renew their 40th Marriage Vows!http://www.aframnews.com/nationwide-commemoration-of-50th-anniversary-of-black-power/
Fri, 01 Jul 2016 23:04:06 +0000http://www.aframnews.com/?p=11480
]]>Harris County Commissioner Gene L. Locke Calls for Jail Reform, Demands Answers and Immediate Action from Sheriff Ron Hickmanhttp://www.aframnews.com/harris-county-commissioner-gene-l-locke-calls-for-jail-reform-demands-answers-and-immediate-action-from-sheriff-ron-hickman/
Wed, 18 May 2016 04:01:33 +0000http://www.aframnews.com/?p=10667Harris County Commissioner Gene L. Locke said today he is stunned to hear about the recent inmate deaths in the Harris County Jail, including four who died since May 2015 following assaults or head trauma.“Any in-custody death is unacceptable, and to hear that four people died while in jail awaiting trial in Harris County is embarrassing and disgraceful,” Commissioner Locke said. “The inmates’ families deserve answers, and the people of Harris County are entitled to know that their public servants are safely operating a place of confinement, which is meant to be temporary, and not a death chamber for inmates who have not been given a bond hearing or convicted of the crimes for which they have been accused.”
Commissioner Locke demanded Sheriff Hickman institute other jail reforms and take immediate steps to increase jail staffing and training. Additionally, Commissioner Locke insisted the sheriff hire a certified jail administrator who is accountable to the people of Harris County.
“The status quo will not continue under my watch,” Commissioner Locke said.
Commissioner Locke said he plans to ask Sheriff Hickman to meet with him to outline the corrective measures he plans to make at the Harris County Jail and to report those plans to commissioners’ court.
]]>2016 State of Black America® reporthttp://www.aframnews.com/2016-state-of-black-america-report/
Wed, 18 May 2016 03:55:41 +0000http://www.aframnews.com/?p=10662THE INEXTRICABLE LINK BETWEEN TRANSPORTATION AND OPPORTUNITYBY: STEPHANIE JONESSENIOR COUNSELOR TO THE SECRETARY AND CHIEF OPPORTUNITIES OFFICER, U.S. DEPT. OF TRANSPORTATION

When you hear the word “opportunity,” what comes to mind? Most people think about well-paying jobs, good schools and housing. But, do you also think about transportation?

If you don’t, that may be because the connection between transportation and opportunity is not always immediately apparent, although they are inextricably linked together.

Transportation not only connects us to the places we need to go, it also helps to invigorate opportunity within a community. The bottom line is this: without transportation, there is no opportunity.

Being able to move freely is essential to exercising one’s full rights of citizenship. Did you know transportation underpinned much of the Civil Rights Movement? Plessy v. Ferguson, the Montgomery Bus Boycott, and the Freedom Rides all centered on the intersection of transportation and civil rights. It is no coincidence that just two years after the 1964 Civil Rights Act was enacted, President Lyndon Johnson signed the act creating the Department of Transportation.

As U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx noted in the 2015 State of Black America®, transportation infrastructure has also been used to disconnect poor and minority communities from opportunity through intentional design.

To address past mistakes, Secretary Foxx has put forth three guiding principles for ensuring a more inclusive infrastructure system: 1) transportation is essential to opportunity; 2) past wrongs were committed and must not be repeated; and 3) transportation decisions must be made by, with and for the people impacted by them.

These three principles for “Connecting People to Opportunity” are a direct reflection of Secretary Foxx’s emphasis on community. How does the community benefit from a proposed transportation project? Who in the community will be able to help build that project? What input does the community have in the final vision for that project?

Before a drop of cement is poured, there is a lengthy process that begins years before a project becomes shovel ready. Many people are involved in the planning process – elected officials, metropolitan planning organizations, developers, engineers, designers – but their voices are no more important than those of local residents.

At the Department of Transportation, we are working to ensure that everyone has a seat at the table and that no matter your zip code opportunity is within reach. We are sharpening our civil rights tools, strengthening our Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program and increasing our Title VI enforcement. Perhaps most importantly, we are embedding into the department’s culture the idea that every decision must be made with opportunity and inclusion in mind.

As the first Chief Opportunities Officer in the federal government, it is my mission each day to think about how the Department’s work can enable all Americans to have access to opportunity.

The Urban League Movement is an important part of this effort. Your awareness, experience, and involvement are critical to ensuring that communities nationwide will no longer be shut out by dated and divisive infrastructure decisions.

Together, we can work to bridge the divide.

]]>Mississippi State NAACP Statement on the Cleveland, Miss. Schools Desegregation Orderhttp://www.aframnews.com/mississippi-state-naacp-statement-on-the-cleveland-miss-schools-desegregation-order/
Wed, 18 May 2016 03:47:50 +0000http://www.aframnews.com/?p=10658The Mississippi State Conference NAACP believes that the recent federal decision to desegregate schools in Cleveland, Miss. is a crucial step in the right direction towards providing quality education for all children. Fifty-one years after Bolivar County parents filed a lawsuit challenging the segregated school system in the county, African American students in the district finally will be allowed to attend schools without the stigma of race and poverty. Ironically, this decision has come down almost 62 years to the exact day of the historic 1954 landmark case, Brown v. Board of Education.

After the Brown v. Board of Education decision requiring school districts across the country to end the practice of segregated schools, many communities shut down schools for years, and others established segregated academies to avoid the Supreme Court mandate. These private academies were created to prevent black and white children from attending school together. However, the Cleveland Municipal School District continued its practice of maintaining a dual school system. Cleveland is not unique in this effort, as there are over 40 school districts still under a federal mandate to remove all vestiges of segregation in Mississippi and hundreds throughout the South. Many Mississippi towns are divided by the symbolic and, in some cases, actual railroad tracks. This separation is often mirrored by alarming resource and academic disparities.

“The right to a quality public education for African-American children remains a contested issue in this state. Unfortunately, local and state policymakers continue to undermine efforts to close achievement and opportunity gaps,” said Derrick Johnson, State President of the Mississippi NAACP. “The promise of the Brown decision was to provide quality education for all children. However, this promise has yet to be realized because of efforts by state lawmakers to underfund, privatize and maintain segregated schools.”

“This decision is a tremendous victory for equality and the citizens of Cleveland,” stated Attorney Shakti Belway, who represented private plaintiffs in the case and has been working with Mississippi NAACP in protecting the rights of public school students. “This decision advances integration for Cleveland’s public school students and families, and should be applauded.”

The Mississippi NAACP is encouraged by the recent decision of the federal court in the Cleveland school desegregation case and encourages the United States Department of Justice to thoroughly investigate other cases where federal school desegregation orders have not been honored in Mississippi school districts.

Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation’s oldest and largest nonpartisan civil rights organization. Its members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities. You can read more about the NAACP’s work and our six “Game Changer” issue areas here.

]]>Understanding the Law: Landlord/Tenant, Mold Infestationhttp://www.aframnews.com/understanding-the-law-landlordtenant-mold-infestation/
Thu, 12 May 2016 14:10:46 +0000http://www.aframnews.com/?p=10500Attorney Krystin Collins is a native of the Acres Homes Community. She is a graduate of Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law and has been a licensed attorney since 2009. Collins specializes in Criminal defense, Civil, Personal Injury, Estate Planning & Divorce. She may be contacted at 713-775-0332 or krystin.collins@gmail.com.

In the past few weeks there has been a bout of excessive rain and flooding in the Houston area. Overall, Houston is known to have high levels of humidity and frequent heavy rain. As a result, many homes and apartments in the Houston area foster the perfect environment for mold to grow. If you are renting or leasing a home and you have discovered a substance that appears to be mold, it is the responsibility of the landlord to make necessary repairs to remedy the issue.

According to, Section 92.056 of the Texas Property Code, “a landlord is liable to a tenant if the tenant has given the landlord notice to repair or remedy a condition, the condition materially affects the physical health or safety of an ordinary tenant, the landlord is given a reasonable time to repair or remedy the condition after receiving notice, and the landlord has not made a diligent effort to repair or remedy the condition after receiving notice”.

What to do if you think mold is in your residence?

Notify the Landlord in WRITING: Notify your landlord in writing that you have discovered a mold like substance that needs to be inspected and remediated. Specify a number of days the landlord has to take initial action to make repairs. Under Texas law, seven (7) days is presumed to be a reasonable amount of time.

Have Mold Inspected and Tested: Although, you have made a maintenance request to the landlord, employ an independent company to come into your home and inspect the affected areas and test the mold. There are several types of mold spores; some of them can be very detrimental to the health. It is best to know what type of mold is in your home and the health risks associated with that type of mold.

Monitor the Method of Repairs: Often times, Landlords fail to adequately remediate the affected areas. I have heard first hand of landlords attempting to spray bleach on mold as a method of remedying the issue. I have even heard of landlords attempting to paint over the mold in an attempt to conceal the mold. If you find that your landlord has failed to make a diligent effort to remedy the issue, you may be entitled to several remedies, such as: vacating the premises and terminating the lease, making needed repairs and deducting expenses from the rent, or filing an action against the landlord to make needed repairs.

Consult with an Attorney: Consult with an attorney to understand your rights and to ensure that your rights are being protected.

Attorney Krystin Collins is a native of the Acres Homes Community. She is a graduate of Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law and has been a licensed attorney since 2009. Her primary practice areas are criminal defense, civil litigation, personal injury, estate planning, and divorce. She may be contacted at 713-775-0332 or krystin.collins@gmail.com.

]]>Come out April 9 to meet new KTSU GM Ernest Walkerhttp://www.aframnews.com/come-out-april-9-to-meet-new-ktsu-gm-ernest-walker/
Tue, 05 Apr 2016 14:19:20 +0000http://www.aframnews.com/?p=9999KTSU 90.9 FM will host an open house and meet and greet reception for its new General Manager Ernest Walker, Saturday, April 9, from 10:00 a.m. to noon. It will be held in the KTSU multi-purpose room and everyone is invited.

Walker, a music industry veteran with more than 20 years of experience in business, production, entertainment, and fundraising was named general manager March 10. Breakfast will be provided by The Breakfast Klub.